Rescued
by Rellik 01011993
Summary: When Merlin is caught using magic, there is only one person who can save him from the pyre, and only one way in which to pull it off. This opens up a whole new chance of happiness for Merlin and his rescuer, if only they're brave enough to take it. Reviews always welcome.


Gaius stared at Arthur in shock. "You're going to let your father _kill_ Merlin? Just because the poor lad was unfortunate enough to be born more gifted than most can even dream of!" he glared at the prince before him, who Merlin had thought of more as a friend than a master.

Arthur shook his head, pacing in the small confines of Merlin's room within Gaius' rooms. "You don't understand! How am I to know what was truth and what he lied about since we first met?" it hurt Arthur to think of Merlin's execution, but so did the betrayal of finding out he didn't really know the one person he considered a friend.

Gaius rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, sire, Merlin has told you truth wherever possible. He hid his magic behind explanations that might be believed, but otherwise he spoke honestly with you. And let me tell you, he chafed under not being able to tell you everything."

When Arthur was about to argue further, Gwen spoke up. "Arthur, how do you think you survived so many magical attacks? You _know_ that a sword can never conquer magic. Do you think you just got lucky?" her voice was gentle but her eyes were stern. She had learnt of Merlin's magic at the same time Arthur had, but she was taking it a lot better than he was.

"Besides, you can always talk about he failed you. If you fail him now there will be no talking ever again." Gaius murmured softly, not wanting to upset the young man overmuch, but needing him to realise just how dire Merlin's circumstances were.

x x x

Arthur stood before his father, before the court, and before Merlin who stood in chains. It broke Arthur's heart to see Merlin's thin frame so weighed down by chains. Chains that he now realised Merlin could probably break easily but chose not to. Merlin would not escape Camelot because Arthur was in Camelot. Given the choice to die here or live elsewhere, he would choose to die in Camelot.

"I come to claim the rights as the Prince of Camelot to provide protection for my spouse from execution. Under our laws, I can shield my spouse from execution unless he committed murder or treason. Merlin has committed neither." His voice was steady.

Merlin's face paled at the thought of Arthur putting himself in harm's way just to save him. He never wanted Arthur in any kind of danger, especially not on his behalf. He warily watched the King, waiting for his decision. The nod was so slight he would have missed it had he not been watching for it.

In the blink of an eye Arthur was standing in front of him, a content smile softening his features. "Alright love?" he murmured. "Why don't you hop out of those chains, they can't be comfortable." He wiggled his fingers with a grin, implying he wanted Merlin to use his magic. In front of all of these people. In front of the King.

Wide green eyes stared up at Arthur as the warlock shook his head slightly. It had been bad enough that he had been caught using magic. He wouldn't rub the King's face in it now that he had been saved from the pyre. But it was nice to see that Arthur obviously accepted this part of him so contently. He had worried for many years that when Arthur finally learnt of his magic, he would lose his best friend.

Arthur rolled his eyes and gestured for a guard to remove the shackles. Linking his fingers with Merlin's he turned to face his father and the court. "Given that Merlin has lived among us for countless years and never harmed any of our own with his magic, I urge the court to make magic legal once more. Misuse shall be dealt with accordingly, but magic without harm should no longer end in the death of an innocent."

x x x

Arthur felt Merlin's anxiety when they were back in his chambers but wasn't sure why. Magic had been declared legal and Merlin was cleared of all charges. He was free, and free to be himself for the first time in his life.

He sat on the edge of his bed and watched Merlin pace about the rooms, doing chores out of habit. When the logs in the fireplace suddenly burst into flame Arthur stared in fascination. Merlin was so at ease with his magic it was stunning. And heartbreaking when Arthur thought of how he had been forced to hide this part of himself for so long. "Merlin? Would you please tell me what you're worrying about?" he asked softly.

Merlin stopped, staring up at Arthur, a blush reaching across his cheekbones. "You…you claimed that I was your spouse. I know it was just to save me from burning alive, but I feel I owe you the whole truth now…"

Arthur slowly rose from the bed and walked toward the young warlock. When he stood directly in front of him, he stepped in close and rested his hands on Merlin's hips. "Merlin, I know you're not attracted to women. You said something about it in your sleep one day, and I've been wondering ever since…" he leant in close, teasing himself with what he doubted would ever happen.

Merlin's eyes widened. "I'm not attracted to men in general either. How could anyone ever grab my attention when I spend so much time with you? Everyone else pales in comparison." He smiled, covering Arthur's hands with his own. "I can leave if it makes you uncomfortable, but I promise I can control myself." Sadness filled his eyes and Arthur realised what he worried about.

"Merlin you are so _dense_ sometimes…" he mumbled before brushing his lips against Merlin's. He pulled back just far enough that he could meet the warlock's gaze and stared into churning green.

The ceiling was suddenly lit with tiny lights, as if they were outside and could see the night sky. Arthur stared in amazement and then looked back to Merlin to find him blushing. "Merlin?"

He closed his eyes for a moment and the ceiling went back to its usual blandness. "Sorry…lost my grip on my magic a little." Merlin mumbled, staring at his feet.

Arthur studied him for a moment before a smile burst across the young prince's face. "Your equivalent of a giggling girl or a stumbling boy?" he asked happily. It made him glad that he could cause such a reaction in Merlin.

x x x

"You know…now that I've made a public declaration that we're in love, they'll be expecting a wedding sooner rather than later." Arthur murmured, staring contently into Merlin's eyes. They were lying on his bed, his room lit only by the fire late in the night, and getting to know one another in this new aspect of their lives.

Merlin sat up suddenly, staring at Arthur in alarm. "But they can't! I'm…I'm your manservant! And they only just decided not to kill me for crying out loud! They can't possibly be happy with the idea of us being _together_ , and they really can't be happy with the idea of marriage! Don't you need to marry a woman? Don't you need heirs?"

Arthur wrapped an arm around Merlin's chest and pulled him back to lie beside him once more. "Are you saying you won't marry me?" he asked softly, rubbing slow circles on Merlin's back. He could see the panic in the warlock's eyes, but he knew it wasn't from their relationship. External pressures were what had Merlin in a panic, now all Arthur needed to do was get him talking so he could knock down those worries one by one.

Merlin smiled apologetically at his prince. "If it were just you and me I'd say yes in a heartbeat Arthur, you know that. But it's not just us. Your father has had a parade of princesses and noblewomen through the castle for years, trying to convince you to marry. I don't recall ever seeing a gangly manservant mixed into that parade."

Arthur grinned. "And we wonder why I've yet to marry! Perhaps if he had given me the right temptation I would have married long ago!" he teased gently.

Merlin rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the fact that Arthur had basically just insinuated that he'd long been interested in Merlin. "But you're a _prince_ , aren't you supposed to marry royalty or nobility? And I'm reasonably certain that there's a requirement for offspring."

Arthur nodded slowly, hating that Merlin had a logical argument. "The need to marry royalty or nobility can be…ignored. And as for the heirs…I have heard of illegitimate children becoming the heir to the throne when no other option presents itself. We could choose a woman to carry a child for us Merlin and then raise them as our own."

Merlin's face paled further and he stared at Arthur. "You're entirely serious about this aren't you?" he asked in bewilderment. "You're really not joking, not even a little."

Arthur frowned, failing to see how this idea could bring anything but joy to Merlin. "Of course I'm serious Merlin. Do you think I would jest about a thing like this? That I would be so cruel as to mention marriage without _meaning_ it? I thought this would make you happy. I thought that you would be happy that I want the world to know I love you."

Merlin blinked slowly, trying to find the words to explain everything to Arthur. "The idea of marrying you makes my heart explode with joy, however the idea of marrying _Prince Arthur Pendragon_ makes me so anxious I could levitate." He saw Arthur's frown deepen; he couldn't understand the difference. "I love you, _all_ of you, that's not what I'm saying. The world doesn't know you the way I do. They think they have the right to you at any given moment, but they don't know Arthur the Prat, he's all mine. What happens if we marry and the world has to see its precious _Prince Arthur Pendragon_ with Merlin the manservant? Merlin the Clumsy Oaf? I don't know how to be the husband of a prince, Arthur. I've stood in every ball and party for _years_ , but if I'm not serving or being ordered around I wouldn't know what to do. Your spouse, whoever they may be, needs to be able to handle the life of a prince and then a king. Needs to know how to act. I _don't know_ those things."

Arthur sighed, relief flooding through his veins as he realised Merlin's protestations against marriage weren't against him, or against _them_. He was merely scared of how the world would see him, how the world would treat him. "Merlin, you don't need to know any of that stuff. In fact I'd rather you didn't learn any of that, it's all horrid stuff that makes people terribly stuffy. I love you as you are now. And besides, you won't need to learn how to correctly address people because you will be the husband of the prince, and eventual my Court Warlock. You can go on as you do now, minus the manservant chores. Now that magic is legal once more I'm sure you can find ways to help the people." He brought Merlin's hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across his knuckles. "I want you to stay as you are; the goofy, caring, loving man I fell in love with. The man who puts himself in harm's way for strangers and who has risked his own neck countless times for this kingdom."

Merlin blinked several times, staring at Arthur. "But…wouldn't I be an embarrassment to you? If I remained as I am now? It's bad enough that your manservant doesn't know how to act properly, surely a husband would be so much worse?"

Arthur smiled. "I want the people to see who you are, not some aristocratic image that's been jammed down your throat. They need to see that you truly car, that you love them as much as I do, that you care for them just as strongly and protect them just as fiercely. _That_ is what will make you important to our people, not some silly code of conduct mandated by my father."

Merlin nodded slowly. "If you are sure that I won't embarrass you as a husband, I would be honoured to marry you. Although…I do have one request. Whenever we marry, could it be done by the druids? They're important to me…well, they're important to both of us only you don't know about all of that yet."

Arthur pulled Merlin in for a kiss, happier than he had ever been that Merlin had agreed to marry him. "If I can arrange it, it will happen. But you should know that they've disappeared over the years. I haven't heard of a single sighting over these past twelve months."

Merlin bit his lip, glancing away from Arthur for a moment. "Umm…I may know where they live…" he admitted slowly, not entirely sure how Arthur would take this news. "They speak with me on occasion, through my mind. They're like me, you see, peaceful users of magic. The closest thing I have to family these days."

Arthur scowled. "Second closest thing to family, thank you very much, I do believe husband is closer than friend. Next time you speak with them, tell them the news that magic has been legalised, but tell them to be wary for a while yet. I don't trust my father to stay true to that promise."


End file.
